Garden Betty

I have this free-for-all bed in my garden where I let a bunch of things overwinter or reseed on their own, and so far this spring, they've exploded—Egyptian walking onions, garlic, mache, miner's lettuce, spinach, and a random smattering of winter rye (which I tried as a cover crop last season). I harvested all the leafy greens and have been pulling up the onions as I need them, and I noticed something: white mold growing all over the roots of my plants! 😳 Luckily it's not the kind of mold to...

While cleaning out a raised bed this week, I found a couple clumps of dandelions (not ones that I've purposely grown) hiding in the corners. Instinctively I pulled them out, but instead of throwing them in the compost pile like most people do, I threw mine in the sink to be washed for that night's dinner. Walking around my raised bed, I then saw this: A wild salad bar growing in my lawn Some people might look at this picture and think—ugh, more weeds. Me, on the other hand... I see a free...

If you're like me, the sight of a butterfly in the yard might make you pause for a moment and enjoy that fleeting connection to nature. But, I'm also that person who stops and marvels at every little thing in my garden... earthworms (the bigger the better), ladybugs, bees, wasps, beetles, praying mantises, hummingbirds, frogs, lizards, and if I'm lucky enough to see them, garter snakes! All these creatures reassure me that I'm creating a healthy mini ecosystem for my plants, and the more of...

Are you planting tomatoes in the ground yet? If so, I'm jealous. 😊 We're far from transplant weather here in Bend, at least for warm-weather crops like tomatoes... but I can only dream and count down the days to Memorial Day (when it's considered "safe" to put tomatoes outside with frost protection—I use these tomato teepees every year). In other parts of the country where it's actually spring, you may have already repotted your tomato seedling once, possibly even twice... and soon you'll be...